by Colbie Kay
Tinsley wipes away the drop of rain from her forehead as the DJ make the announcement for everyone to head inside. As much as I don't want to let her go, I have to. Reluctantly and hesitantly, I release her. "You head on inside." I turn and walk away
I rush to get inside in order to help Drifter before the clubhouse becomes crowded with bodies. “Drifter, what do you need?” I ask the prospect as I round the bar.
He wipes the bar counter and throws the towel down. “We need to get the cases of champagne and the flutes. I also need a few cases of beer and to grab a couple bottles of liquor that I’m short on.”
“Let’s get going. It’s starting to rain, and everyone’s going to be coming inside.” Just as I say the words, people start piling in. I follow him down the hall to our storage room. He opens the door, and once we’re inside with the door shut, it’s quiet and I catch a weird noise. “You hear that?” I ask with furrowed brows. I listen harder.
“Yeah. It sounds like ticking.”
We quickly begin to search the storage room, moving bottles, and not worrying when they fall to the floor, shattering, and covering us in different stenches of alcohol. We throw boxes off the shelves until finally, we find what we were searching for. “Fuck!” I yell into the small space.
Drifter freezes. “Is that a bomb?”
“Yes! And the timer says fifteen minutes! We have to get everybody out!” We move at lightning speed to get out of the room and down the hallway. "Get out! Everyone, get out!" I holler repeatedly as I begin pushing people toward the door.
"The fuck's goin' on?" Hanger catches my arm and turns me to face him.
"There's a bomb!" I yell at him breathlessly. "There's a fucking bomb set up in the storage room. We have to get everybody out!" He lets go of me and starts helping. Others heard what I said and begin to run like chickens with their heads cut off.
The gate to the compound is open, and people are rushing through it to safety. I stand between the gate and the clubhouse, watching Bear run out lastly with both his kids in his arms. Jacey screams as she tries to run by me, but I grab her and push her to the ground, my body covering hers.
The loud boom rips through the air, deafening me. The sky lights up with the bright flames. Climbing off of her, we both army crawl the rest of the way to the gate, and once we both make it, arms reach out, helping us both up. I turn to watch the clubhouse burning to the ground. We are losing our home, and there's not one goddamn thing we can do about it.
Who the fuck put a bomb inside the clubhouse? They intentionally put it there tonight to take us all out. All of us Satan’s Sinners, all of the women, all of the children. They can burn the building to ashes, but they won't destroy our brotherhood. They won't destroy the Satan's Sinners. And we will gladly die protecting the women and children of our club.
Ambulances and police cars come barreling through the gate of our compound. Sirens blare, and lights flash in the night sky; it’s lit up for miles. Jenkins runs over to us. "What the hell happened?" All of us stay quiet, letting Hanger take this.
Hanger’s angry stare stays glued to the ashes of the clubhouse. "Bad wiring."
Jenkins' eyes narrow. "Bad wiring?" He asks incredulously.
"Yeah, it was an old building. Bad wiring." Hanger's arms cross over his chest, and he tenses.
"Hanger—" Jenkins begins but is cut off by Hanger's deep authoritative growl.
Their eyes lock in a staring match to see who is superior and will look away last. "It was electrical. Bad wiring. I'll let them get the fire out, and then all of you are off my property. Understood? No questions, no investigation."
Ultimately, Hanger wins, and Jenkins nods before walking back to his co-workers. The Sheriff is on our payroll, so he knows what's good for him. Let it go and falsify the paperwork.
"What do we do for tonight, Prez?" I gaze at the dying flames and smoke that is rolling high into the cool night air.
"We'll gather at my house, and tomorrow, we'll have church to discuss our next step."
The next day, we're all gathered in the basement of Hanger's house while the women and children are upstairs with a few prospects.
"The fuck we gonna do, Prez?" Demon asks.
Hanger sighs. "We need to figure out who planted the bomb."
"I'm telling you once a-fucking-gain that there's a rat among us, Hanger. Maybe now you should listen," Doc voices his opinion.
Brothers around the room are in agreement with Doc. “Ayes,” are loud and nodding heads show it’s time to realize one of us is a traitor.
I jump in, giving my opinion, "I have to agree with Doc, Prez. I mean, maybe before it could have been a coincidence, but whoever put that bomb in the storage room, knew we were going to have Chatty and Gunner's wedding there. They knew we would all be gathered."
Bear cuts in, "He's right. They fuckin’ not only tried to kill all of us, they tried to kill our goddamn ol' ladies and our fucking children. It's time to open our mother fucking eyes."
Nodding, Gunner chimes in, "I agree with them, Hanger. We didn't want to believe that one of us could be a traitor, a fuckin' rat, but this draws the line. If Drifter and Romeo wouldn’t have gone into the storage shed when they did, all of us would be fucking dead right now."
Hacker pushes off the wall, his voice dropping, his tone bone-chilling. "Whichever one of you it is, I will find out, and when I do, I’ll fucking gut you." We all glance around the room, trying to get an idea of which one we've called brother while he betrayed us. When we figure it out, he has a slow painful death coming to him. We will spit in the tainted blood of our rat, our traitor. "I've already spoken with Snake, and everyone that needs a bed, the Cobras are opening up their club to us. We'll have to make due until we can rebuild."
Pretty Boy asks, "What's our losses looking like?"
Demon explains, "Mostly it'll be just personal items, but we've lost the income from the bar. On the upside, all of our stashed money is in storage along with our ammo and gun supply."
Bam Bam shakes his head. "Guess we'll be getting cozy with the Cobras."
Ghost states, "At least we're all still fucking breathing."
Hunter nods. "Damn straight, brother."
Thank fuck for that.
It's been a few days since the Satan's Sinners clubhouse burned down due to the bomb. Chatty came to me and offered to let me stay with her, Gunner, and their daughter, however, I told her no. She argued with me, but she doesn't understand that I have a plan, and this is something I have to do on my own.
"I've seen your pretty ass ‘round here for the last few days." The Cobras' prospect pulls me out of my thoughts.
I twirl the straw around in my drink and bring my hazel eyes up to meet his drunken stare. "Oh yeah?"
"You property of the Sinners?" His finger runs along my hand. It actually makes me want to cringe, but I have to keep the act up.
My tone is flirty, and I give him an annoying giggle like a club whore would do. "Do you really think you'd be talking to me right now if I was?" I grin.
He chuckles. "No, I suppose not. You belong to anybody?"
"You don't have anything to worry about." My smile widens.
He leans in close, his breath reeks of liquor. "Let's go to my room then."
Reaching up, I twist pieces of my dark hair around my finger. "Sounds good to me."
He stands from the bar stool. "Woah." He grabs the counter to brace himself. I feel the bottle of pills poking me through the jeans I have on. For my plan to work, I had to slip him a little something in his drink when he wasn’t paying attention.
"What's the matter?" I ask innocently and lay my hand on his shoulder.
He shakes his head, but his words begin to slur. "I got lightheaded is all. C'mon." He takes my hand and leads me down the hallway to the row of doors on either side. With each step he takes, he stumbles and hits his shoulders against both sides of the hallway.
He opens the door to an empty room and flips the switch. “You sure you’
re okay?” I close the door behind us.
“Mmm.” He responds, but any second now, he’ll be passed out.
I take a deep breath and walk closer. Using my hands, I cup his face and crash my lips against his. I ignore the revolting feeling that resonates within me. I continue kissing him as I walk us to the edge of his bed. Just as I'm about to push him onto the mattress, he falls, passing plum out. Lifting my arm, I wipe my mouth, trying to remove the feel of his lips against mine.
Shew!
I smirk as phase one of my plan is put into motion. Taking a relieved breath of air, I bend over his unconscious body and search him until I find his gun. Checking the clip, I make sure it's fully loaded and double check the safety. Once I’m satisfied I have everything I need, I leave his room and make my way to my own.
Five fucking minutes my eyes were off her, and now I come back inside the Cobras clubhouse to find her gone along with Skeet, the prospect. I swear to fucking Christ, this woman will see blood if she's in his fucking room. Storming through the club, I stand in front of his closed door and take a deep breath of air to try and ease my pounding pulse and rapid heartbeat. Why do I even care if she's in here with him? I know I shouldn't, but jealousy rears its ugly head, knowing I can't fucking have her. And I sure as hell don't want a motherfucker I know to get her either.
Tinsley ain't the type to whore around, but you never know how women really are until you see those true fucking colors come out of them. Being mad at me for mistaking her as a whore when we first met, could just be a little game she’s playing. Turning the knob, I push the door open hard enough that it slams against the wall, and I flip the light on. My gaze searches the room, but she's not here. Skeet, on the other hand, is passed the fuck out on his bed. Shutting his door, I stomp toward the room I know she's been staying in. Why she wanted to stay here instead of with Chatty and Gunner, I have no idea. I’ve had to keep an extra close eye on her; I see how these assholes leer at her. If only she was wearing a patch that says she is my property, then it wouldn’t be a fucking issue. What the hell am I thinking even considering making her my ol’ lady when I can’t even grow a pair to make a move on her?
I don't bother knocking; instead, I do the same with her door that I did with his. Her light’s on, and she is standing beside the bed. My entrance makes her move quickly, and she puts her hands behind her back. Her eyes are wide with surprise until she realizes it's me. Her shocked stare turns into a narrowed glare. "What are you doing? You have no right to just barge in here."
I take a few heavy steps closer. "I have every fucking right when you disappear. I left you sitting at the bar. You should have kept your ass on that stool until I returned. What's behind your back?"
I try to look over her shoulder, but she spins, keeping whatever it is hidden. "None of your business."
"For being so quiet, you sure grew a mouth all of a sudden."
"I've always had a mouth, jackass."
"What're you hiding?" I try to peek around her again, but once more she moves in the opposite direction of my eyes.
"I told you, it's none of your business."
"For my club, every motherfuckin' move you make is my goddamn business. Don't fuck with me, Tin." Grabbing ahold of her shoulders, I spin her around. She tries to move her hands in front of her, but I quickly grab her wrists with one of my hands, and when I glance down, I see the gun. "The fuck you doin' with that?" With my other hand, I take the gun away from her. "Where’d you get this?"
She hisses at me, "I told you, it's none of your business."
I grit through my teeth, "And I'm telling you, you better start fucking talking."
Her shoulders sag with defeat. "Fine. I got it from the prospect."
My brows pull down tight. "No fucking way Skeet would just hand over his gun." My mind fogs with suspicion. "What did you do?"
"I needed the gun." Keeping a hold of her, I bend my knees, placing the gun safely on the bed. I pat her down, searching the pockets of her jeans and feel something poking out. Pulling out a bottle of pills, I look at the script. It's a sleeping pill prescribed for her.
"You drugged him?" I asked shocked, and suddenly, I have a thousand more questions. "Why would you do that? The fuck you hiding?" More suspicion begins racing through my mind. Is she the fucking rat?
"It's my problem, and I'll deal with it." She holds strong by keeping her mouth shut.
I throw my accusation out there. "Are you a fucking rat, Tin?"
"A rat?" She laughs. "Who would I be a rat for?"
"This isn't a fucking joke." I think back on everything that's happened since she's been here. "You knew Gunner and Tink were gone. You knew what Gunner was driving and that he was coming to see Chatty when they were gunned down. You knew where the wedding was going to be, and that we would all be together for the bomb. As far as we all know, you stay quiet, and you stay in your room, but you could have so easily listened and gotten all the fucking information you needed."
Her eyes bulge. "Wait, you think I had Gunner gunned down? With my own cousin in the car? Are you crazy? You think I'm giving someone information to take out your club? Why would I do that?"
Exasperated, I throw my arms in the air. "I don't know, Tin! What do any of us really know about you? We took you in because we fucking trust Chatty, but how many years was it that you two didn't see each other? You could be betraying her right along with us."
She shakes her head. "I'm not betraying anyone."
"How the fuck am I supposed to know that? How am I supposed to believe you? You drugged a fuckin' prospect and stole his gun! The last girl I trusted was a fuckin' rat for her family. She almost got me killed and was trying to take my club out, so forgive me if I don't believe shit that comes outta your mouth right now."
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Hanger.
"Who are you calling?" She asks frantically.
"You don't wanna talk, we'll make you."
Keeping my eyes on her, I wait for him to answer. "Yeah?"
"We got a problem. Meet at the Cobras and get our brothers." With that, I hang up.
Grabbing one of her arms, I push her out of the room. I don't bother stopping, even with the looks I'm getting from others in the club. I throw the door open and lead her outside. Our footfalls continue until we reach the metal shed that the Cobras use for torturing. If she doesn’t want to talk, maybe scaring the piss outta her will get her to spill what the fuck is going on.
"What are you doing?" She cries as I push her down into the only chair in the middle of the dark space. Fuck! This brings back memories of me being tied up by Giovanna. Pushing down the regret, memories, and the sickening feeling, I move forward with what needs to be done.
Reaching above me, I pull the string, and the light comes on. Her gaze travels around to the knives, tools, and other devices. "Please, Romeo!" She begs, but it falls on deaf ears. I can’t fall for her cries, begging or pleading, no matter how much I want to.
I sit on my knees and grab the rope that’s laying on the ground by her feet. I begin to tie the rope around her and the chair, but as I move in, her knee comes up, connecting with my nose. “Christ!” I yell out, but keep my hold on her with one arm. My free hand touches my nostrils to make sure I’m not bleeding before I continue tying her up. Her legs kick at me and her body jerks against the rope. When I have her tied securely to the chair, I walk out of the shed and wait until my brothers come.
"We're all here. What's goin' on?" Hanger questions with his arms crossed over his chest.
I stand with my shoulders squared. "I think I found the rat."
My brothers practically jump at the shed door to get inside.
Hanger holds his arms out to his sides to keep everyone back. "Who is it?" His eyes harden with his desire to kill.
Instead of answering, I open the door to the shed.
Bear's eyes widen. “The fuck?”
"You got this wrong, Romeo. Let her go!" Gunner demands from his wheelchair.
> "Why the fuck would you think Tinsley is the rat?" Hanger asks with his brows pulled down in confusion.
"She drugged Skeet and stole his gun. I questioned her, and she won't talk. But think about it. She's been here with every blow to one of our brothers and club."
Ghost nods. "He's got a point."
Writer pipes in. "It's a possibility. I mean, what do we really know about her?"
I nod. "That's what I said."
Bam Bam says, "So, you think she had Gunner gunned down with Chatty in the car? That makes no sense, brother. Chat's her family."
Defending my accusation, I explain, "How many years were they apart? Does Chatty really know her? Maybe she didn't know Chatty would be in the car, or maybe she holds onto some resentment for Chatty leaving. Maybe she's angry with us for keeping Chatty away."
"She could have a motive," Hacker agrees.
Out of all of us, Demon is the last one I would expect to be calm. "Let's see what she has to say." He's been around Tinsley more than any of us due to showing her how to do our books, but if need be, he will shed blood.
Hanger gives his approval with a simple nod, and we each step into the shed, surrounding her.
Her eyes pool with tears. "I'm not the rat."
Hanger bends down so he's eye level with her. "Then what are you?"
"Get Chatty here, and I'll explain everything. If you don't believe me, you'll believe her."
Hanger turns his attention to our vice president. "Get your ol' lady here."
Chatty runs into the shed where they have me tied to a chair. I don't want to know what they could do to me. Tears well in my eyes, not from fear, but because Romeo actually thinks that I'm a rat. He thinks I could betray my cousin like that, that I would betray the very club that took me in…I would betray him. Yes, it was probably wrong of me to drug the prospect and take his gun, but how else was I going to get a weapon? He sure as hell wouldn’t have handed it over willingly.